Month: April 2020

We are close to the end of April, and in the hokku calendar, that means the ending of spring. By that old calendar summer begins on May Day — May 1st.

This is probably a good time to let readers here know that the discussion of hokku and its English-language categories of daoku (objective hokku), shinku (hokku with a bit of “thinking” added) and soku (hokku with too much “thinking” or imagination) will now take place mostly on another site. That site is:

Over time, it appears that the topic of hokku has rather gotten lost in the discussion of other kinds of poetry and other subjects — which will continue here on the hokku.wordpress.com site. But those who are particularly interested in hokku will now no longer have to sift through those other postings to find information specifically on that topic, because discussion of hokku will be concentrated on the hokkuforest.wordpress.com site.

We are presently living through strange and troubling times, though of course past generations had to endure much worse. We have been rather spoiled by decades of relative ease and calm. A large number of Americans were far too foolish in electing a President who, it should have been obvious at the outset, was not in any way fitted for the office. Now we are all suffering the consequences of that serious absence of good judgment. The result has been very damaging and destructive for the United States and for the planet. I can only hope that this damage will be at least begin to be partially remedied by Americans coming to their senses and voting out as many Republicans as possible in the next election — including above all the astoundingly incompetent U.S. President and his sycophantic cronies who have kept him in office long after he should have been legally removed for the public good.

I hope that as spring departs, we may look forward to gradually getting things back on track — paying attention to scientists rather than deceptive, foolish, or self-serving politicians, and focusing once again on trying to lessen the pace of climate change and the loss of species. In short, we all need to remember that we are a part of — not apart from — Nature, and that when Nature suffers, so do we.

Some time back, I made a pleasant discovery, and perhaps you would like to know about it — or rather him — too.

Though he never mentions hokku, you can better understand its spiritual foundations by listening to John Butler of Bakewell, England. He may use “Christian” terminology because of his upbringing, but his application of it is quite undogmatic and universal — and could just as well be said in Buddhist or Daoist terms. I think you will find listening to him very relaxing, a kind of “peace” pill for the times in which we presently find ourselves:

When he talks about the transitory nature of the virus compared to the eternal Stillness underlying it, I cannot help thinking of the spring hokku by Bashō:

The old pond;A frog jumps in —The sound of water.

If you would like to hear more of John Butler — and I suspect you will, given present circumstances — you will find his talks here: